EL Wire Soldering

Cool Neon electroluminescent (EL) wire consists of a core copper wire coated with white phosphor, around which spiral two fine radial wires (which are common, and also known as corona or angel hair wires). Surrounding all of this is a PVC coating (unless you’re working with Angel Hair 1.2mm wire, which has no PVC coating).

The key to keeping your Cool Neon EL wire working year after year is preventing the spiraling angel hair wires from making contact with the core copper wire. You can accomplish this by:

Buying high quality EL wire, in which the phosphor coating resists flaking off. This is one of the things that distinguishes Cool Neon EL wire from others on the market.

Avoiding bending the wire repeatedly in the same place. If the phosphor flakes off, it could cause a dark spot or worse, a short.

Soldering the wire in a way that isolates the radial wires from the core wire.

The tutorials below explain how to solder EL wire reliably, so you can enjoy your projects and be confident that they’ll be glowing beautifully. Everyone can do this with a steady hand and a little time and patience.